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Food Photography

How to take tantalizing food photos

Here's a few helpful tips that will help you achieve professionally styled food photos with ease, right in your own home.

Use these simple tips to create fun food projects like our Recipe in a Jar.

Timing is everything

Remember that food tends to melt, sweat, wilt, dry out, shrink, discolor or sag, so timing is of the essence. Make sure you set the table with napkins, glasses, silverware, flowers, etc. before you bring out your "hero" dish. Then finalize your lighting and make adjustments to the arrangement. When everything is perfect, bring in the food and shoot.

Table setting

Create a simple setting that looks professional and realistic, but doesn’t take away from the food. Try different types of plates, bowls, cutlery, placemats, glasses, and even chopsticks as props to set the scene for each dish.

Lighting

Try to take food photographs with natural light. Shooting near an open window diffused by a white curtain works great.

Composition styles

Move in close

Fill your picture with the subject and keep everything in focus. This will eliminate background distractions and show off the details in your subject. Shooting this close requires using a tripod to help steady your shot.

Lock the focus

Move in close and focus on a particular part of a dish. This way only part of the food will be fully focused while the background is out of focus or blurred.

Include the table setting

Show off your expensive cutlery, wine glasses, chairs and table settings. Simply move far enough away to take an entire table shot with the food as the highlight.

For this type of shot, natural light works best. If natural light isn’t available, bounce light off white walls or ceilings to minimize reflections or glare off the plates, cutlery and glassware.

Editing your food photos

After your food photo shoot, there is a good chance you'll need to adjust the brightness or contrast, crop the image, or touch up other details. Click the link below for easy instructions on how to make your food photos the best they can be.